Apparatus for water deaeration



Aug. 12 1924. 1,504,318"

(3. H. GIBSON APPARATUS FOR WATER DEAERATLO Original Filed Dec. 19 1921 r f W p n P ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 12, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrlce.

GEORGE H. GIBSON, O'F MON TGLAIB, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR 150 H. S. B. W. COCHRANE v CORPORATION, SYLVANIA.

OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- APPARATUS FOR WATER DEAERATION.

Application filed December 19, 1921, Serial No. 523,546. Renewed January 9, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H.- GIBSON,

a citizen of the United States, and resident of Montclair, in the county of Ess X and 5 State of New Jersey, have invented ertain new and useful Improvements in Ap aratus for Water Deaeration, of which the following is a specification.

The general object of my present invention is to provide improved apparatus for heating and deaerating water. In proceeding in accordance with the present invention the water to be deaerated is introduced into a deaerating chamber in film like and broken streams as in any ordinary open feed water heater, and the water collecting in the bottom of the chamber is subjected to a reboiling orscrubbing action to expedite and augment the liberation of air from the latter, the air liberated being withdrawn from the apparatus through a suitable exhauster and the apparatus as a whole being ordinarily operated to-entertain a pressure less than atmosphere in the heating and deaerating chamber. In regular operation the steam or a large portion of it utilized in heating and deaerating the water is injected into the pool or body of water in the bottom of the deaerating chamber. In starting apparatus of 1 this sort into operation or in iiicre'asiiig the temperature maintained in the heating and deaerating chamber, a dangerous water hammer may be set up in the apparatus by injecting the steam intothe. water which is then at a temperature a 'ipreciably below that of the steam.

My present invention comprises improvements in valve mechanism and connections to the deaerating chamber whereby steam is admitted to the latter above the water level therein when necessary to raise the temperature in the apparatus to a point at which the steam or a large portion of it may be injected into the body of water in the bottom of the chamber Without risk of serious watcr hammer. In one to-rmof my invention I automatically control the supply of steam to the deaerating chamber in response to the temperature or pressure conditions therein. The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, reference should be had to the drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention. 7

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of appara- ,60 tus comprising a manually controlled switch or steam distributing valve; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation illustrating a modification of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 in which the steam distributing valve is thermostatically controlled.

In the drawings, and referring first tothe construction shown in Fig. 1, I have illustrated the use of my invention in connection with water deaerating and heatin appara tus comprising a closed chamber divided into upper and lower compartments A and A respectively b a partition B. Mounted on the partition h is a tray box C open at its upper end to the compartment A and open at its lower end to the compartment A through the port B in the partition. Air mixed with more or less Water vapor is withdrawn from the compartment A through a pipe leading to the mixing chamber of a steam e'ector O supplied with steam by the pipe 0 and discharging into a jet condenser N provided with an air outlet N open to the atmosphere. A float aqtuated valve E serves to pass water, and s5 prevent the passage of air, from the condenser l\' into the compartment A. The condensing water is supplied to the condenser N by a pipe E, and raw water to be deaerated is assed directly into the compar-tment A y a pipe'D. The supply of water through the pipes E and D is regu lated by v-alve E and D, respectively,

which are automatically controlled by floats E and D respectively, which operate to norm-ally. maintain a substantial body of water in the lower portion of the compartment A while limiting the height of water level therein to insure a vapor space 1n the upper portion of the compartment A The water entering the compartment A from the condenser N and through the pipe D isreceived in a trough C and overflows from the latter onto trays or battles C" in the tray box C. Steam for heating and de- 1 aerating the water is admitted to the compartment A through a manifold F extending horizontally into the compartment A well below the normal water level therein and provided with a multiplicity of dischargeorifices, and through an atomizer pipe G arranged to direct a plurality of small steam jets across the path of flow of the water passing from the trays C into the body of water in the lower portion of the compartment A As shown the baffle C directs the water falling from the trays over the atomizer. Steam is also introduced into the compartment A above the water level therein through the inlet orifice A A represents the outlet for deaerated water.

In so far as above described the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 is merely'illustrative of one of the many types of waterheating and deaerating apparatus with which mv invention may be employed. The particular form of apparatus shown in Fig. 1 comprises various features of construction and arrangement novel. with me, but not claimed herein to the chamber in such manner as to malntain a body of water therein partially filling the chamber, and with regulable means for injecting steam into the chamberbelow the water level therein and also above the water level therein. In practice, moreover, the water introducing means should preferably include. a water spreader such as is formed by the trays C for passing the water introcomprises a cylindrical valve casing having duced, through the vapor space in the upper ortion of the chamber in a finely divided OIm.

The means with which my present invention is particularly concerned for regulating the distribution of steam among the steam inlets to the compartment A comprises what I call a switch valve I. The valve I a steam inlet I-from a steam supply pipe H, and having an outlet port I opening directly to the inlet A of the compartment I A and having an outlet port I connected to a pipe J. The latter is connected through a branch pipe J to the manifold F, and

branch pipe J 2 to the atomizer throu h a pipe A rotary valve member I, which may be manually adjusted through the external operating lever I, forms a means by which either of the ports I and I may be fully closed while leaving the other wide open, or to partially throttle each of these ports. Advantageously the branch pipes J and J 2 each includes a valve K by which vthe correspondin flow of steam may be throttled-or cut 0 and the branch pipe J preferably includes a non-return valve L operating to prevent back flow of water through the pipe J in case the pressure in the steam supply pipe H falls below the pressure maintained in the compartment A In the normal intended operation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, the valve member I is adjusted so that all, or at least the major portion of the steam passing from the pipe H into the valve I will issue from the latter through the port I into the pipe J, and the valves K and the branch pipes J and J 2 Will be so adjusted that all, or a large portion ofjthe steam issuing through the valve port I will pass into the compartment A through the manifold F. In normal operation the body of water in the bottom of the chamber A is approximately at the tem erature of the steam admitted so that the atte'r passes through the body of water without condensation. The steam rising from the body of water carries with it the air scrubbed out of the water and is wholly or largely condensed in the vapor space above the body of water in heating the water passing down over the trays C. In practice the apparatus should be so designed and operated that but little vapor will be mixed with the air carried out of the chamber A by the ejector O. In practice the temperature maintained in the chamber A will ordinarily be appreciably, below 212 In starting the apparatus into operation,

or when it is dcsired'to raise the temperature in the daeiating chamber, the valve I should be adjusted to close the port I and open the port I, thus causing all thesteam supplied to the apparatus to enter the compartment A through the port I until the compartment A and its contents are warmed up approximately to the temperature of the entering steam. When the apparatus is thuswarmed up the valve I is adjusted intoits normal position in which the port I is opened and the port I is closed or at least substantially throttled. By admitting all the steam supplied to the compartment A above the water level in the latter when the temperature of the compartment and its contents is being raised, I avoid the danger of serious water hammer which would be apt to result from the introduction of steam intothe water through the manifold F at that time.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 2 differs from that shown in Fig, 1 in that the operating arm I of the switch valve I is connected to autpmaticcontrol mechanism for adjusting the valve in response to temperature con itions prevailing in the deaerating chamber. The control mechanism comprises a. motor cylinder M containin a piston M the stem of which is connected to the valve I". A suitable pressure fluid such as compressed air for moving the piston M in one direction or the other is admitted to and exhausted from the ends of the cylinder M by means of a D valve working in a valve chest 0 which is connected to a sourceof fluid under pressure by a. pipe 0 represents the exhaust port from the valve chest 0 and O and 0 represent the pipe connections from the valve chest O' to the opposite ends of the cylinder M. The stem a O of the D valve 0 is connected through a cross head P and connecting rods to a diaphragm P which forms the movable element of a differential pressure device which in the construction shown comprises fixed ends P and P and flexible bellow sections connecting each end head to the interposed member thus providing two expansible chambers P and P The chamber P is connected by a conduit 0 to a rigid walled receptacle Q located in the tank A below the water level in. the latter. The closed system the expansible chamber R and the pipe R.v

is filled with a non-volatile liquid such as a suitable oil.

The closed'systems of which the containers Q, and R form parts, respectively, should is closed.

be so .filled with fluid, and the apparatus otherwise so adjusted or calibrated that when, in normal operation, the containers Q and R are subjected to approximately the same pressures, the valve 0, and thereby the switch valve member I, will be held in the respective positions shown in Fig. 2; and so that when the pressure to which the expansible container R is subjected is appreciably above the pressure of saturated water vapor at the temperature of the body of water in which the container Q, is immersed, the valve 0 will be shifted to the right and-thereby cause the piston M to move the valve member I into the position in. which the port I is open and the port I With apparatus constructed as shown, the

.above described mode of operation can be secured by excluding air or other gas, aside from vapor of the contained liquid, from the closed system of which the container Q, forms a part; while at the same time limiting the amount of liquid in the system to permit the necessary movement of the partition or rigid diaphragm P to the right of the position shown in Fig. 3 which is required to shift the valve 0 into the position in which the pipe O is connected to the exhaust passage 0 through the chamber in the valve 0 when the container Q and the system of which it forms a part contains no vapor.

The pressure in the closed system of which the expansible vessel R forms a part, is the pressure actually prevailing in the chamber A above the Water level therein, and the pressure in the closed system of which the rigid container Q, forms a part, is the pressure of water'vapor at the temperature ofthe body of water in which the chamber'R is immersed provided the last mentioned In starting the apparatus into operation,

however, the pressure in the chamber A above the water body therein, owing to the presence of considerable air in the chamber, will be appreciably higher than the pressure of water vapor at the temperature of the water in the. chamber. The distributing valve member I will then be held in the po sition in which it closes the port I and opens the port I If, as a result in a change in the conditions of operation while steam is being supplied to the chamber A wholly or mainly through the manifold F, the temperature of the steam injected intothe water through the manifold F becomesappreciably higher than the temperature of the water, much or all of the steam injected into the body of water will be condensed in the body of water. As a result of the consequent reduction in the amount of steam rising from the body of water, air will accumulate in the, atmosphere then surrounding the expansible chamber R and, in consequence, the pressure of this air and vapor mixture will substantially exceed that of water vapor at the temperature of the body of water. As an immediate result of this increase in pressure on the outside of the vessel R the distributing valve member I will be adjusted to close the port I and open the port I. When thereafter the temperature of the body of water is brought approximately to the temperature of the steam supplied to the chamber A and .the space about the expansible vessel R is swept practically clear of air, the distributing valve member I will be returned to its normal condition in which it closes the port I and opens 'theport I. 1

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes I have illustrated and described the best forms of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims, and that certain features of my invention .may sometimes be used to advantage without -a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. Apparatus for deaerating water comprising in combination a closed chamber providedwith water and air outlets, means for supplying water to be deaerated to said chamber as required to maintain the latter partially filled with water, and means for supplying steam to said chamber co prising a steam inlet opening to the chamber below the water level therein, a steam inlet opening to the chamber above the water level therein and a distributing valve adjustable to throttle the supply of steam to either inlet while permitting steanrto pass freely to the other inlet. i

2; Apparatus for deaerating water comprising in combination a. closed chamber provided with water and air outlets, means for supplying Water tobe deaerated to said chamber as required to maintain the latter partially filled with water, means for supplying steam to said chamber comprising a steam inlet opening to the chamber below the water level therein, a steam inlet opening to the chamber above the water level therein, and

.a distributing valve comprising a valve and in such manner that the water supplied will be heated in the chamber before joining said body of Water, means for supplying steam to said chamber comprising one steam inlet opening to the chamber below the Water level therein, a second steam inlet opening to the chamber above the water level therein,- and means responsive to the temperature in said body of water and to the pressure in the space above the body of water for cutting off the supply of steam to said one inlet when the temperature of the body of water is below the temperature of saturated water vapor at the pressure in said space and for restricting the supply of steamto said second inlet when the temperature of saturated water vapor at the pressure in said space'is approximately the same as the temperature of the water.

4. Apparatus for deaerating water comprising in combination a closed chamber provided with water and air outlets, means for. supplying water to be deaerated to said said body of water for throttling the supply v of steam to said one inlet, or said second inlet accordingly as said pressure respectively exceeds or approximates that of water vapor at the temperature of said body of water.

5. Apparatus for deaerating water comprising in combination a closed chamber provided with water and air outlets, means for supplying water to be deaerated to said chamber as required to maintain a body of water in the chamber partially filling the latter and in such manner that the water supplied will be heated in the chamber before joining said body by steam in the chamber, means for supplying steam to said chamber comprising a steam inlet opening to the chamber below i the water level therein, a steam inlet opening to the chamber above the water level therem and a distributing valve adjustable to throttle the supply of steam to either inlet while permitting the steam to pass to the other inlet and means for adjusting said valve in automatie response to variations in the differenti al between a pressure WlllCh 1s a function of the temperature of said body of water and the pressure in said chamber above said body of Water. i a

Signed at Philadelphia in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania this fourteenth (lay of December A. D. 1921.

GEORGE H. GIBSON. 

